Fiber optic sight pin

ABSTRACT

A sight pin for use with a bow sight includes an elongate segment of fiber optic material used to form a sighting indicia at one of its terminal ends. The other end of the fiber optic member is wound upon a spool to increase the exposed surface area of the fiber optic material to increase light absorption and thus the brightness of the sight indicia.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This document claims priority to and incorporates by reference all of the subject matter included in the provisional patent application filed on Dec. 24, 2003, and having Ser. No. 60/532,655.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to sights for archery bows employing fiber optic elements and, more specifically, to sight pin constructions which provide increased stability to the fiber optic element and which provide illuminated sight capabilities in environments where ambient light is reduced or absent.

2. Description of the Art

Archery bow sights utilizing a plurality of sight pins have been known in the art for many years. Typically, these sights use a bracket or other mounting structure for mounting the sight to a bow. The sight is commonly comprised of a pin plate, a pin guard, and a plurality of sight pins which are secured to the pin plate and extend into a sight window formed by the pin guard. The sight is mounted to a bow in a manner so that when the bow string is drawn, the archer can look through a peep sight provided in the bow string and align the tip of a pin attached to the sight with a target. For sights utilizing a plurality of sight pins having their tips vertically aligned, each individual sight pin is typically provided for aiming the bow at a target at a particular distance from the archer. For example, one pin may be positioned in the sight for aiming the bow at a target 50 yards from the archer while another pin may be positioned for a target that is at 100 yards distance.

It is also known in the art to construct sight pins with a light-gathering fiber optic element to enable use of the sighting device in low light environments. Various configurations of sight pins using fiber optic members have been proposed.

It is also well-known in the art that despite the light-gathering capabilities of fiber optic elements which render sighting devices more useful in low-light conditions (e.g., dusk), there is a point at which the ambient light is so low that the fiber optic element is no longer capable of gathering sufficient light to provide any illumination. While others in the art have disclosed the use of electronic means for providing a light source to the fiber optic elements of the sighting device, the use of such devices add weight to the device, may fail electrically and may be vulnerable to damage by contact with bushes or the like.

It has also been proposed to provide a self illuminating substance such as tritium at one end of a fiber optic element in order to illuminate the opposite end. Because of the surface area of the ends of such fiber optic elements, the amount of light provided in such a small surface area is relatively low.

Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a relatively large amount of fiber for each sight pin to provide increased light gathering capabilities by increasing the exposed surface area of the fiber.

It would also be advantageous in the art to provide a non-electrical source of light that can illuminate the fiber optic element of the sight pin to provide sufficient illumination to the fiber optic element to enhance the usefulness of the device in very low or no ambient light conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a sight pin for use with a bow sight includes an elongate segment of fiber optic material used to form a sighting indicia at one of its terminal ends. The other end of the fiber optic member is wound upon a spool to increase the exposed surface area of the fiber optic material to increase light absorption and thus the brightness of the sight indicia.

The sight pin includes an elongate pin arm defining a sight point at a first end and configured for attachment to a bow sight proximate a second end. A fiber optic member has a first terminal end adjacent the sight point of the sight pin for providing a sight indicia. A spool in the form of a cylindrical member is positioned proximate the second end of the sight pin. The fiber optic member is wound upon the spool with a plurality of windings so as to maximize the amount of fiber optic material that is exposed to ambient light.

In one embodiment the spool is coupled directly to the sight pin itself so that the sight pin can be adapted to an existing bow sight for use therewith.

In another embodiment the spool is coupled to the bow sight and the fiber optic member from the sight pin is wound upon the spool.

In another embodiment, more than one fiber optic member from more than one sight pin is wound upon a single spool.

In still another embodiment, a plurality of sight pins with spools integrally formed therewith are configured to be used together on a single bow sight.

In yet another embodiment, each spool is provided with a luminescent material, such as glow-in-the-dark material, that is wrapped around the spool. The fiber optic member is then wound over the luminescent material. By charging the luminescent material for a period of time with a light source, the fiber optic member will remain illuminated for a period of time while the luminescent material radiates light.

Thus, a non-electric light source is provided along a length of the fiber optic member in order to brighten the fiber optic element as a result of the light being emitted from the non-electric light source.

The non-electric light source is a material which naturally emits light, such as a radioactive or chemically activated material commonly used in such devices as illuminated watches and “glow-in-the-dark” signage. In addition, zinc sulfide and copper mixed phosphorescent pigments and powder materials can be incorporated into many materials such as plastics. Such luminescent plastic materials may be formed by mixing luminescent pigment powder with transparent plastic resin. The luminescent plastic can then be formed into the desired shape or applied to the product by casting, molding, extruding, dipping and/or coating. The luminescent pigment is compatible with acrylics, polyester, epoxy, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyethylene polymers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an archery sight and sight pins in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a side view in elevation of a sight pin shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a side view in elevation of a cap in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2C is an end view in elevation of the sight pin shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an archery sight and sight pins in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of an archery sight and sight pin in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is an view in elevation of a fourth embodiment of an archery sight and sight pins in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a side perspective view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6B is a front side view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C is a back side view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a side perspective view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7B is a front side view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a back side view of the sight pin shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a representative top side view of the sight pins shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A;

FIG. 9 is a representative bottom side view of the sight pins shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A;

FIG. 10 is a representative left side view of the sight pins shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A; and

FIG. 11 is a representative right side view of the sight pins shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a bow sight device, generally indicated at 10 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The sighting device 10 is comprised of an integrated pin plate 14, a pin guard 16, which defines a sight window 18, and a mounting portion 19. A plurality of sight pins 20, 21 and 22 are secured to the pin plate 14 by attachment members 23, such as screws, each of which engage one of the sight pins 20, 21 and 22 and extend through a slot 24 formed in the pin plate 14. The sight pin 20 includes an elongate segment of fiber optic material 34 used to form a sighting indicia at one of its terminal ends. The other end of the fiber optic member 34 is wound upon a spool 38 to increase the exposed surface area of the fiber optic material 34 to increase light absorption and thus the brightness of the sight indicia.

The slot 24 is provided with a recessed portion 25 that circumscribes an elongate channel that extends through the pin plate 14. As will be described in more detail, the sight pin 20 engages with this recessed portion 25 to prevent rotation of the pin 20 relative to the pin plate, essentially mating together in a male/female or tongue and groove relationship. The channel allow for passage of the shaft of an elongate fastener therethrough. The sight pins 20, 21 and 22 extend transversely from the pin plate 14 into the sight window 18. The sighting device 10 is attached to a first bracket 28 by securing members 30, such as threaded bolts. The first bracket 28 may be adjustably connected to a second bracket 29 by additional securing members. The second bracket 29 may then be coupled or directly attached to the riser of a bow as is known in the art.

In use, the archer typically aligns a peep sight positioned on or secured within a bowstring with one of the sight pins 20, 21 or 22. Each of the sight pins 20, 21 and 22 is positioned and adjusted to correspond to a given distance (e.g., 50 yards, 100 yards, 150 yards, etc.) from the bow. The sight pins 20, 21 and 22 allow the archer to better position the aim of the arrow to compensate for target distance and trajectory. Sight pins 20, 21 and 22 relevant to the present invention are those which employ fiber optic members 34, 35 and 36, respectively, to provide an illuminated point or sight tip at the terminal end of each fiber optic member 34, 35 and 36. While the sight pins 21 and 22 are generally of a traditional configuration, the sight pin 20 includes a substantially longer length of fiber optic material that is wound upon a cylindrical member 38 to form a spool of wound fiber optic material. The width of the spool 38 may be varied to accept more or less fiber optic material thereon. By winding the fiber optic material 34 onto the spool 38, an increased amount of fiber optic material is employed for the sight pin 20, as compared to sight pins 21 and 22. This increased length of the fiber optic member 34 increases the exposed surface area of the fiber optic member 34 to increase the light gathering ability of the fiber optic member 34 to, in turn, increase the illumination of the sight tip. Moreover, by coupling the spool 38 to the individual sight pin 20, the sight pin 20 can be adapted to virtually any existing bow sight regardless of configuration. That is, the sight pin 20 of the present invention could be easily adapted to virtually any existing bow sight without requiring modification to the design or configuration of the bow sight.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the sight pin 20 is comprised of a pin arm 40 for supporting the proximal or terminal end 42 of the fiber optic member 34. The proximal end 43 of the pin arm 40 includes an enclosed channel 44 for receiving and retaining a portion of the fiber optic member 34 proximate its terminal end 42. The terminal end 42 of the fiber optic member is enlarged as by melting the terminal end 42 to form a dome-shaped end. The size of the terminal end 42 is greater than the diameter of the channel 44 to prevent the terminal end from being pulled through the channel. Thus, the terminal end 42 abuts against the proximal end 43 of the pin arm 40. The terminal end of the fiber optic member 34 forms a sighting indicia or tip from which light gathered by the fiber optic member 34 is emitted. The pin arm 40 forms an arc to position the sight tip 42 at the appropriate location within the sight window 18 of the sight 10 and to form a gentle curve form bending the fiber optic member 34 along its arc to prevent the fiber optic member 34 from being kinked or otherwise bending too severely in a manner that could cause the fiber optic member 34 to fracture. The fiber optic member 34 is then wound upon the spool 38 with a plurality of windings 46. The ends 48 and 50 of the spool 38 have a diameter that is larger than the body 52 of the spool 38, such as a typical spool of thread. A layer 54 of glow-in-the-dark material, such as luminescent-type, efflorescent-type or self-illuminating tape, underlies the windings 46 to illuminate the fiber optic member 34 in low light conditions. Because the fiber optic material 34 is a relatively translucent plastic that can be penetrated by light, the glow-in-the-dark material can be charged through the windings 46 and then illuminate the fiber optic member 34 along the windings 46. It should be noted that such fiber optic material 34 is available in various colors (e.g., yellow, red, green, etc.). A transparent layer of tape 56 or other suitable material is applied over the windings 46 to prevent unwinding of the fiber optic member 34 while allowing light to illuminate the fiber optic member 34 along the windings 46 and to charge the glow-in-the-dark tape 54.

The sight pin 20 also includes an engagement portion 60 for engaging with the slot 24 (see FIG. 1). The engagement portion 60 is comprised of a rectangularly-shape protrusion that allows the sight pin 20 to be adjusted vertically relative to the slot while preventing rotation of the pin 20 relative to the slot 24 to keep the pin arm 40 in a substantially horizontal orientation relative to the sight window 18.

As shown in FIG. 2B, because of the large exposed surface area of the fiber optic member 34 in the windings 46, an opaque cap 62 may be provided to cover all or a portion of the windings 46 when ambient light is high. By placing the cap 62 over all or a portion of the windings 46, the brightness of the sight tip 42 can be controlled as desired. The cap 62 has a generally cylindrical shape to substantially match the shape and size of the spool 38. The cap 62 may be comprised of a rubber or latex material that is flexible and resilient to form a friction fit over the spool 38 to prevent the cap from falling off of the spool 38 while allowing the cap 62 to be easily removed or slid relative to the spool 38.

As further illustrated in FIG. 2C, the sight pin 20 as shown from the proximal end 48 includes an internal bore 66 that extends into the spool 38 to decrease the weight of the spool 38 and thus the sight pin 20. The pin arm 40 and spool 38 of the sight pin 20 may be formed from plastic or metal. The engagement portion 60 defines a threaded bore 68 for receiving an externally threaded fastener for attaching the sight pin 20 to the pin plate 14 (see FIG. 1).

Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of a bow sight, generally indicated at 100, and associated sight pins 102, 103 and 104 are illustrated in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The sight pin 104 is configured similarly to the sight pin 20 illustrated in FIG. 1. Likewise the sight pin 102 is configured similar to the sight pin 20 but provides is pin arm 106 on the opposite side of the spool 108. The sight pin 103 is configured with an elongated pin arm 110 that allows the spool 112 to be positioned behind the spool 108 while maintaining the sight tips 114, 116 and 118 of the sight pins 102, 103 and 104, respectively, in relative vertical alignment. In this embodiment, the sight pin 103 is configured similarly to the sight pin 102, but by having an elongated pin arm 110 of sufficient length, the sight pin 103 can be seated behind the sight pin 102 to allow the pin arms 106 and 110 to be positioned as close together as desired by a user, even touching. Each of the sight pins 102, 103 and 104 are coupled to the bow sight body 118 by attachment to a respective slot. Because the spools 108 and 113 of the sight pins 102 and 104 are substantially vertically aligned, they can be coupled to the same slot, such as the slot similar to slot 24 shown in FIG. 1. An additional slot 120 is provided for the sight pin 103 and has a similar configuration as the slot 24 shown in FIG. 1 to allow mating engagement of the pin 103 with the slot 120 to allow vertical adjustability of the sight pin 103 relative to the sight body 118 while preventing rotational movement.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the sight pins in accordance with the principles of the present invention can be adapted to bow sight, generally indicated at 200 which employs a vertically oriented sight pin 202. The sight pin 202 is configured in a similar manner as the sight pin 20 shown in FIG. 1, but can be fixed relative to the sight body 204 since the configuration of the bow sight 200 allows for vertical adjustment of the sight window 206 and thus the sight pin 202 relative to the bow (not shown). The bow sight 200 is configured with a lever 208 which when slid relative to the arched slot 210 rotates about a pivot point 212 to cause translating movement of the sight body 204 relative to the bracket 214.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of a bow sight, generally indicated at 300, is illustrated. While various other embodiments illustrated herein have shown a single spool associated with a single sight pin for winding the fiber optic material from that pin thereon, it is further contemplated that fiber optic members 302, 303 and 304 from other sight pins 306, 307 and 308, respectively, may be wound upon a single spool 310. The spool 310 may be associated with one of the sight pins, such as sign pin 308, as has been heretofore described, or may be a separate component coupled to the sight body 312 in a manner that allows the individual sight pins 306, 307 and 308 to be independently adjusted relative to the sight body 312, while the spool 310 remains in a fixed location.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, 7C, and 8-11 there is shown in various views the sight pins 104 illustrated in FIG. 3 and sight pin 20 illustrated in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 6A shows a side perspective view of the sight pin 104 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6B shows a front side view of the sight pin 104 shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6C illustrates a back side view of the sight pin 104. FIG. 7A is a perspective side view of the sight pin 20 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7B is a front side view of the sight pin 20 and FIG. 7C is a back side view of the sight pin 20. FIG. 8 is a representative top side view of the sight pins 104 and 20, FIG. 9 is a representative bottom side view of the sight pins 104 and 20, FIG. 10 is a representative left side view of the sight pins 104 and 20 and FIG. 11 is a representative right side view of the sight pins 104 and 20.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it is contemplated that upon review of the present invention, those of skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and combinations may be made to the present embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as recited in the claims. It should be specifically noted that reference to the term “spool” in the specification and claims is not intended to include only a cylindrical structure, but any structure upon which the fiber optic member can be wound. The principles of the present invention may be adapted to any type of sight pin including those illustrated as well as sight pins used on pendulum type sights and the like. The claims provided herein are intended to cover such modifications and combinations and all equivalents thereof. Reference herein to specific details of the illustrated embodiments is by way of example and not by way of limitation. 

1. A sight pin for attachment to a bow sight, comprising: a spool; a pin arm integrally formed with said spool and depending outwardly therefrom; and a length of fiber optic material having a first end for forming a sight indicia coupled to said pin arm and at least a portion of said length being wound upon said spool, said spool, said pin arm and said length of fiber optic material forming a sight pin configured for attachment to a bow sight.
 2. The sight pin of claim 1, wherein said pin arm and said spool are integrally formed.
 3. The sight pin of claim 1, further including a glow-in-the-dark material interposed between said fiber optic material and said spool.
 4. The sight pin of claim 1, wherein said pin arm has an arch shape.
 5. The sight pin of claim 1, further including an engagement portion integrally formed with said spool configured for engaging with a sight body to prevent rotation of said spool relative to said pin body.
 6. The sight pin of claim 1, wherein said spool includes a hollow recess for decreasing the weight of said spool.
 7. The sight pin of claim 1, wherein said length of fiber optic material forms a plurality of windings upon said spool.
 8. The sight pin of claim 7, further comprising an opaque cap for covering at least a portion of said plurality of windings.
 9. A bow sight, comprising: a sight body comprising a pin plate; and a plurality of sight pins attached to said pin plate, at least one of said plurality of sight pins comprising a spool, a pin arm depending from said spool, and a length of fiber optic material having a first end for forming a sight indicia coupled to said pin arm and at least a portion of said length being wound upon said spool.
 10. The sight of claim 9, wherein said pin arm and said spool are integrally formed.
 11. The sight pin of claim 10, further including a glow-in-the-dark material interposed between said fiber optic material and said spool.
 12. The sight of claim 9, wherein said pin arm has an arch shape.
 13. The sight of claim 9, further including an engagement portion integrally formed with said spool configured for engaging with a sight body to prevent rotation of said spool relative to said pin body.
 14. The sight of claim 10, wherein said spool includes a hollow recess for decreasing the weight of said spool.
 15. The sight of claim 11, wherein said length of fiber optic material forms a plurality of windings upon said spool.
 16. The sight of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of sight pins includes a spool for winding said length of fiber optic material thereon.
 17. The sight of claim 9, wherein said length of fiber optic material of each of said plurality of sight pins is wound upon said spool.
 18. The sight of claim 9, wherein said spool is coupled to said sight body.
 19. The sight pin of claim 15, further comprising an opaque cap for covering at least a portion of said plurality of windings.
 20. A sight pin, comprising: a spool; a pin arm depending from and extending away from said spool; and a length of fiber optic material having a first end for forming a sight indicia coupled to said pin arm and at least a portion of said length being wound upon said spool.
 21. The sight pin of claim 20, wherein said pin arm and said spool are integrally formed.
 22. The sight pin of claim 20, further including a glow-in-the-dark material interposed between said fiber optic material and said spool.
 23. The sight pin of claim 20, wherein said pin arm has an arch shape.
 24. The sight pin of claim 20, further including an engagement portion integrally formed with said spool configured for engaging with a sight body to prevent rotation of said spool relative to said pin body.
 25. The sight pin of claim 20, wherein said spool includes a hollow recess for decreasing the weight of said spool.
 26. The sight pin of claim 20, wherein said length of fiber optic material forms a plurality of windings upon said spool.
 27. The sight pin of claim 26, further comprising an opaque cap for covering at least a portion of said plurality of windings. 